[crutnacker]

I have been looking for a new car for about 2 or 3 years now. For most of that time I've considered the following:

xD
xB
Fit
Insight
Civic
Focus (because I have the X-plan)
Kia Soul

I've had mostly Hondas in the family and have loved them. I think the Fit is one of the best designed small cars ever, and I loved both Civics I owned, but there are SOOOOO many of them on the road and they creep out of my price range when I put in what I want. The Insight is pretty cool but back seat space sucks, and cargo area and visibility aren't that great.

The Soul is actually pretty darned appealing, but its a Kia, has a timing belt, and I understand dealers are not dealing, and there is no way I'm paying MSRP for a car that will depreciate to nothing in a week.

xB is a great family car, but dark and depressing inside and the MPG sucks.

I enjoyed the xD a great deal as well, and actually I'm back to considering it if a new release edition comes out.

And now the Cube..... I like the look, the MPG sounds pretty good, I like the fact that its all Japan built and it seems the most comfortable of any of them (except maybe the xB) I wish it had a bit more cargo room.

Anybody else consider the other cars on my list? What were your reasons for not going with them?


I

 

[GrenZeiram]

I was all set to get a Kia Soul. I kept looking at them, but couldn't decide on the color I wanted.

It was down to the week I was going to get one, and I saw a commercial for the Cube, I went online to look it up and I liked what I saw and the Moss Green was a color I really liked. I researched the Cube the best I could online and found out that it has been around for 10 years in Japan, so I figured it had to have a good track record, so I decided to buy one.

I contacted 3 area Nissan Dealers through the internet and heard back from two of them, I ended up going with the dealership that was able to locate a Cube that had all of the options I wanted and I put money down on it and bought it without even seeing it in person.

It was mostly an impulse purchase for me, and I am glad I did it because I really like the Cube a lot! My friend bought a Alien Green Soul+ and his has all of the options mine has (minus the push button start, but it has a sunroof) and I really like the Soul as well.

It all comes down to what you want and what will make you happy in the long run. Good luck in your choice!

Be sure to let us know what you buy!

 

[crutnacker]

Thanks for your response. I actually think the Soul was the best combination of things I wanted (at least until we switched from Sirius to XM) but I worry about Kias and the timing belt, and in the end, I think the Soul isn't head turning enough. Somehow I think the conversations are more about "That's a KIA?" then "wow, what a cool (or ugly) car."

 

[elDizzle_foShizzle]

roger that on the KIA. it's got 18" wheels, which is cool. the contrasting colors in the interior are a nice touch. but, if you think in terms of being a tuner, you'd probably be just as well with an S, 6-speed, and get your own kit and kicks to really personalize it. methinks the Cube'd hold value over time as well. PS: to be the real judge of who is a better looker, park yours next to a Soul and see who gets more ooo's and aaah's.

 

[Commando]

well, something tells me you will probably get something of a biased viewpoint from this site LOL!

All I can really say that is helpful is that I traded in my 2007 FiT in order to get this cube. So far the experience has been a positive one. Not sure about the 2009s as much, though I see the frame has been aerodynamically improved quite a bit but, the biggest drawback I found was that the engine compartment was really small and cramped. The FiT engine easily heated up and was worked a lot harder when accelerating and maintaining greater speeds on highways. When I commuted to work the fuel effeciency was not nearly 33 MpG, and if I turned on the A/C the fuel effeciency dropped in half! literally.

The cube drives much smoother, labors less, which gives it better fuel effeciency (of course my commute and yours could be two very different things). The turn radius is a lot tighter (if thats something you like) and I can't wait to get my 16" wheels on it to feel the difference there.

One thing that I was very big on is that the FiT had one of those "American" gas caps that just open up, and you have to buy a lock seperatly if you don't want people dumping sugar in yur gas tank while you sleep, it also felt really cheap. Since no other Hondas I had every seen have this, I was appaled to see this on there. The cube has the "common international" (don't really knoe the origins, its just an assesment on what cars tend to have them) gas cap that opens from a lever release inside. Much better in my opinion.

OH! Yeah! Blind spots! Huge blind spots in the FiT, really hard to see out of at times, the cube almost eliminates blind spots and the driver sits higher up as well, world of differance.

uhh, I don't know that's all I got for now, I'll get back on and add anything else, if theres a specific comparison you want me to make let me know. I really loved my FiT when I had it, but the cube came along and stole me from it....poor FiT, it was really good to me too.

 

[Ladybug~]

Honestly, I had NO plans to trade in my car and get a new car... until I saw the cube. I read an article about it online... then checked out Nissan's website. My initial reaction was that it was weird but kind of cool. Then I saw one at a car sale at our local mall and was able to check it out in person... and I still thought it was weird but cool. I'm not usually one to go with anything weird, trendy, etc. But I took one out for a test drive just for the hell of it and ended up going back to the dealership the next week to see what kind of deal I could get on my trade in.

 

[crutnacker]

well, something tells me you will probably get something of a biased viewpoint from this site LOL!

All I can really say that is helpful is that I traded in my 2007 FiT in order to get this cube. So far the experience has been a positive one. Not sure about the 2009s as much, though I see the frame has been aerodynamically improved quite a bit but, the biggest drawback I found was that the engine compartment was really small and cramped. The FiT engine easily heated up and was worked a lot harder when accelerating and maintaining greater speeds on highways. When I commuted to work the fuel effeciency was not nearly 33 MpG, and if I turned on the A/C the fuel effeciency dropped in half! literally.

The cube drives much smoother, labors less, which gives it better fuel effeciency (of course my commute and yours could be two very different things). The turn radius is a lot tighter (if thats something you like) and I can't wait to get my 16" wheels on it to feel the difference there.

One thing that I was very big on is that the FiT had one of those "American" gas caps that just open up, and you have to buy a lock seperatly if you don't want people dumping sugar in yur gas tank while you sleep, it also felt really cheap. Since no other Hondas I had every seen have this, I was appaled to see this on there. The cube has the "common international" (don't really knoe the origins, its just an assesment on what cars tend to have them) gas cap that opens from a lever release inside. Much better in my opinion.

OH! Yeah! Blind spots! Huge blind spots in the FiT, really hard to see out of at times, the cube almost eliminates blind spots and the driver sits higher up as well, world of differance.

uhh, I don't know that's all I got for now, I'll get back on and add anything else, if theres a specific comparison you want me to make let me know. I really loved my FiT when I had it, but the cube came along and stole me from it....poor FiT, it was really good to me too.

Thanks, this is what I was looking for. I loved the Fit when I drove the old model and this model, but I've heard MPG estimates across the board with it. I've also heard complaints of cheap sheet metal (easily dented) and I know I found the comfort inside the Cube greater than the Fit (although I didn't find the drive as engaging.)

In terms of quality of build, how would you compare the two? I know its tough since you've not owned the cube long, but first impressions.

 

[Commando]

great glad I could help!

In terms of build... exterior wise I'm not wholly sure how to compare, it doesn't seem like it's much different, though the car itself is heavier. the metal itself, the FiT did seem rather flimsy now that I think about it. The cube seems a little sturdier but it also could be due to design. The way the curves are made on the cube's exterior would make me guess that it is likely that they use a nicer/higher quality material to be able to mold it that way, but in all truth I'm no expert on the subject. Perhaps Ill try leaning on it later today or just lightly push on it to see what it feels like. Other than that I am expecting the cube will be rated higher in safety/crash test ratings, but the Fit could win that due to the way they design the crumple zones.

As far as interior and styling is concerned thats one of the things that has turned my opinion towards Nissan in a more positive way. Nissan lately has done an excellent job in selling affordable cars that don't feel like affordable cars. The amenities and options really do tend to outclass competitors. With my FiT, I got one of the nicer ones for the most part (I got the sport, though I didn't throw in all the frills)Price Tag $17,000, with the cube I got the second one from basic the S (at about $15,400) which includes adding interior lighting package and 16" Alloys (the part order says Krom, I can't wait to see what they actually are) and it is far nicer on the inside in every way.

what is nicer on the cube?
::The seats are spectacular, in fact they are much more comfortable and neat (if yu havent sat in a cube yet, DO IT! it's amazing) than my Mom's super expensive Lexus SUV. :: The dashboard area, not just the shag but the design, and the space, the material alse seems more homy, less "industrial", but mabye thats just me. :: DIGITAL fuel guage!! :: more cup holders + the double one right next to the steering wheel {honorable mention to FiT on this though, they were the king of cups in 2007} :: Driver side arm rest (- Passenger though) :: Higher roof with aesthetics :: reclining back seat :: get the floor mat carpeting, it is swweeet!, also the FiT floormats I got aftermarket from Honda sucked, the goddamn rubber things used to always ride up under my pedals and I'd have to move them back all the time to be able to use the clutch :: Various other add ons that my wife's versa have are neat and feel classy, such as the intelligent key :: obviously the custom interior lighting is wonderful :: The material on the inside ofe the door is softer and they have plush on them where your arms rest :: stadium style layout for the back seat, which again soft plush, basically like a couch.

That's all I got for now .. and again the gas cap, just another finer touch to make you feel like your getting a NICE car with out paying that much for it.

 

[CUBE_3]

Since you heard all the positive points and negative points.... the important
question you have to ask yourself now is "Am I afraid to be different and unique" if not
then CUBE is the way to go

 

[coolguy]

thanks so much for your comments, commando! i have the fit on my list of possible car purchases, although i'm strongly leaning toward the cube since it's cheaper. everyone always seems to rave about the fit, so it was interesting reading about someone giving his up for a cube definitely very encouraging for me!

 

[Jim Ohio]

They are discounting the Kia, at least the one dealer near me, Bill Doraty Kia. I went
with the Cube myself though.

 

[Jim Ohio]

I forgot to say that Bill Doraty Kia is in Medina, Ohio, which is in northeast Ohio, near Cleveland and Akron. I went with the Cube though.

 

[ToThe3rd]

Hey I was all set to get the cube but the car I wanted did not arrive soon enough for me (+ I didn't want to pay the just released premium) and went with the xD. While I gave up a lot of pretty (my cube would have been Caribbean blue W/ the light interior). the xD is very tight to the cube in both specs & purpose. And knowing that KIA is the brand with the worst resale values made the Soul a nonstarter for me.

oh yeah they just announced the xD RS 2.0

http://www.japanesesportcars.com/2009-scion-xd-rs-2-final-limited-edition_6857.html

 

[Commando]

your welcome coolguy!